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Driver due for prison time Admits using phone in deadly crash BY JONATHAN SHUGARTS REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN

WATERBURY — A distracted, seconds-long glance at a cellphone that cost a motorcyclist his life will lead to at least two years in prison for the nursing student whose car struck the man.

Stephanie Clavell, 24, pleaded guilty on Friday to second-degree manslaughter in Waterbury Superior Court as part of a plea deal.

When she returns to court in November, her attorney will have a chance to convince a judge to sentence her to a two-year prison term, while a prosecutor can argue for a maximum of four years.

Clavell will also have to serve three years of probation when she's released.

The accident stunned the Wolcott community, as the man who was killed, Terrence Doyle, was well-known as a proponent of safe driving.

Wolcott police charged Clavell last summer with driving while using an electronic device after she rear-ended the 53-year-old Doyle, who was stopped on Meriden Road.

The accident near the intersection of Todd Road occurred at 5:30 p.m. during rush-hour traffic.

Doyle, who was riding an older-model Kawasaki motorcycle that he had owned for decades, was stopped near a traffic light when Clavell's Subaru Legacy slammed into him from behind.

The impact pushed his motorcycle into an SUV in front of him, which threw Doyle backward headfirst into the windshield of the Subaru.

Doyle, who wasn't wearing a helmet, suffered a brain injury, a compound fracture of his leg and a fractured hip. Doyle, a married electrician, died three days later.

Moments before the crash, a police officer driving nearby reported that he saw Clavell driving the Subaru with her head down while she was looking at an electronic device.

Police seized Clavell's Boost Mobile phone, which showed the device had been sending and receiving information at the time of the crash.

A study sponsored by the federal Department of Transportation found that the average time a driver's eyes are off the road while texting is about five seconds, which, at 55 mph, is enough time to cover the length of a football field. More than 3,300 people were killed in distraction-related crashes in 2012, according to the department.

Clavell, a thin woman with her hair pulled back into a bun, answered routine questions during a brief hearing Friday. Her attorney, Thomas Mitchell-Hoffler, said his client doesn't have a criminal history.

"She has never been in trouble a day in her life," he said. "We realize a tragic event occurred, but she's definitely not trying to shirk her responsibility."

She was at the start of a promising nursing career, as she had been working 40 hours a week as a nursing aide and was attending nursing school, he said.

Clavell has shown amazing character throughout the court proceedings, he said. She's remorseful for her actions, but hasn't been allowed to express that yet, he added.

Doyle's wife was not in the courtroom when Clavell pleaded guilty, but prosecutor John Davenport said Doyle's family is expected to attend the sentencing later this year.

Clavell was also sued by Doyle's estate for an unspecified amount in damages, including funeral and medical expenses, but records show the case was settled. A call to an attorney for the estate was not returned Friday.

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russannfromct wrote on Aug 23, 2014 7:36 AM:

" Distracted driving should be treated the same as driving while intoxicated.How unfortunate that the deceased chose not to wear a helmet,which,in this case,might well have saved his life.A helmet to a motorcyclist is like a seatbelt is to an automobile occupant.The two year sentence is enough.It's unlikely the driver will ever forget,in or out of prison. "

" Why is it that no matter where you drive you see people on cell phones talking or texting but never see anyone get pulled over for that??? Stricter enforcement of the laws might lower the number of unfortunate accidents. No WAIT, this is not an accident, it is willfull inattention by the person on the phone!! Stiffer fines or incarceration for repeat offenders!! "

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